Officials in Sacramento County are working a shooting incident that unauthorized gathering shooting Sacramento broke out late Saturday at Howe Community Park just as Sacramento County Sheriff's deputies were dispersing an unsanctioned gathering of a crowd of several hundred.
Prior to the Shooting
Law enforcement were first called to the park on Howe Avenue at approximately 6:30 Saturday evening after getting calls of persons possibly in possession of concealed weapons. Following that, another report was received concerning a reported physical confrontation occurring near the park.
A sheriff's airship was sent to survey the area but could not confirm any ongoing fight. However, it was apparent that several hundred individuals had gathered without authorization without permission.
The Dispersal and Shooting
Responding units set about removing people from the park by surrounding the park and issuing commands over loudspeakers commanding the crowd to vacate the area. Nearly 15 minutes were allowed for the gathering to break up.
It was during this dispersal that between 20 and 25 rounds cut through the air. The rapid succession of shots sent the crowd running in all directions. Deputies at once began searching for victims.
Four Victims Hospitalized
Ultimately, four shooting victims were identified as having gunshot wounds. Those injured — consisting of one woman and three men all believed to be in their 20s at the time of the incident — were taken to Sacramento area hospitals. Emergency physicians confirmed that two had critical injury classifications, one sustained moderate wounds, and one victim's wounds were minor. In a positive development, all four victims survived and were stable.
The Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District also responded and aided in treating the four victims prior to hospital transport.
The Investigation
Most of the gunfire was determined to have been concentrated along the Cottage Way corridor next to the Home Depot at the 2200 block of Howe Ave. Crime scene investigators identified more spent casings scattered along Cottage Way. Ballistic damage were also found in the iron perimeter fence alongside the nearby Home Depot. This ballistic evidence indicated that a shooter had been discharging rounds toward the south from Cottage Way toward the Home Depot building and parking lot. That Home Depot location was temporarily locked down during the incident. CSI investigators and detectives kept processing evidence late into the evening.
Suspect Information
Information relayed over police scanner frequencies indicated that a vehicle identified as a Kia was intercepted in an area within Solano County. Four detainees were taken into custody. Law enforcement units were en route to collect those detained to pick up those detained for questioning. Surveillance footage established that two separate shooters participated in the incident.